


Cattitude

by palavin



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Humor, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, Keith gets turned into a cat, M/M, Protective Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-06-30 08:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15748194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palavin/pseuds/palavin
Summary: Keith gets turned into a cat. Shiro struggles to cope. Set sometime before season 3."I just — " Shiro tries, unable to encompass all thefeelingshe has about how adorable cat Keith is.Keith glares up at him in a way that clearly says:sleep with one eye open, Shirogane."Look at his ears," Shiro finishes lamely.Pidge smacks a hand over her face. "Okay, so you're useless right now."





	1. Chapter 1

The day started out like any other, and that, in retrospect, is what should have set off the first alarm bells in Shiro's head.

To put it lightly, most days are pretty eventful in the lives of the Paladins of Voltron. When they're not fighting off robeasts and whatever monstrosity the universe has deemed fit to throw their way — and when they're not forced into long hours of training that inevitably dissolves into long hours of arguing — they're being forced onto strange planets to ease diplomatic negotiations, because their image is as important as their actions. Or so Allura says.

The Yuvians aren't so bad, really.

Hunk was the first to call them hippies, and Shiro couldn't even find it in himself to protest. Allura calls them spiritual — Lance calls them _totally nuts_.

The truth is that the Yuvians _are_ a bit ... overbearing, with all the soul searching and fortune telling — and Shiro really, really tries to politely decline the fortune telling, because they all say the same thing, and it's getting a little old.

Shiro considers himself a patient man, but he can only be so calm after hearing about his imminent doom for the fifth time.

He knows the team is also getting tired of each hearing the details of their individual 'imminent doom's.' Even Lance — ("What do you mean I die a virgin?!") — has lost his ability to socialize with the Yuvians. An effort was made, and to Shiro, that's all that matters when he allows the team to drag him into an abandoned room for a much needed reprieve.

Normally, he would try to avoid diplomatic catastrophe, or at the least put up token resistance when Keith ushers him through the door, but Shiro's only a man, and he doesn't know how much longer he can take on this planet without tossing one of those stupid crystal balls out a window.

And it shouldn't be reflective on Shiro that he isn't paying attention when it happens. He's lost in his head — trying to remember the route of the building for an easy escape with as little contact with Yuvians as possible — when it happens.

There's a sound that can only be described as a — poof? — and then Keith has completely _vanished_ by the time they're all craning their heads to look at the source of the sound, his armor falling around nothing, and panic overwhelms Shiro so much that it chokes his throat. A sound of breaking glass follows, but Shiro isn't paying attention.

"Keith!?" he asks, falling down to his knees where Keith's armor remains, now empty of it's paladin and spooled across the floor. His heart beats so fast, it feels like it might jump out of his chest, and then —

The armor shifts, and a small black cat wriggles out from underneath Keith's helmet.

Mauve eyes glare up at Shiro. The cat has its eyes narrowed, long black fur bristling along its back and bushing up its tail, and Shiro can't help but think that it sort of makes it look like a dark, angry squirrel.

Bewildered silence envelops the room.

Of course, it's at that moment that it all hits Shiro like a truck, because he knows that glare. He knows the exact color of those eyes too, and they're eerily similar to —

" _Keith_?" Shiro hardly dares to ask, disbelief coloring his tone.

Gasps echo in the room, equally disbelieving.

The cat blinks, then nods it's little head vigorously, fur flattening. The sight would have been borderline comedic if the situation wasn't so serious, and Shiro can feel his own eyebrows shoot to his hairline.

The tiny little ears that were once tucked to its skull perk up when Shiro holds out a hand.

And then, impossibly, a delicate paw settles on Shiro's palm, and it's all he can do to not immediately croon.

"Keith," Shiro breathes, relieved.

"Oh my god," Hunk is saying, crouching down next to Shiro to get a better look. "He's a cat."

"He's so tiny," Pidge says, crouching down as well. "Are they supposed to be that small?"

She has a point. Even though Keith looks full grown, he's still so tiny, even in cat form. Shiro marvels at just how small everything is, though it's almost impossible to see anything through Keith's bushy black fur, and from a distance he'd probably just look like a big ball of fluff.

The tiny paw that Keith has on Shiro's hand is so soft, and Shiro can't let himself think about those smooth little toe beans pressing against his skin, or he's going to actually lose it.

"Woah woah woah," Lance interrupts, standing over them. He levels a suspicious glare at Keith, who glares back in return, and there's something so _Keith_ in his gaze that Shiro has no uncertainty over who this little kitty is. "How do we know that's the real Keith?"

"Well, it's not like he can tell us it's him," Pidge points out wryly. "And we did find him in a heap of Keith's clothes, standing exactly where Keith was."

"Besides, look at him," Hunk says, and they all look to where Keith has both of his tiny paws settled on Shiro's palm, preening under his attention.

Shiro doesn't want to admit he was only half paying attention. He can distantly hear them talking, but it's all background noise to the realization that Keith is safe — under the broadest sense of the word at least — which is all Shiro's ever asked for, and how could he not get distracted?

Shiro has always known his two weaknesses. The first, of course, is Keith.

The second are cats.

"Yeah, well, maybe Shiro's just a cat person," Lance huffs, and then he's reaching down to stroke Keith's fur.

Shiro contemplates warning Lance. He really does think about being the pragmatic leader he is and telling him that touching Keith isn't a good idea.

Before he can interject, Keith's already hissing at Lance and swatting at him angrily. The little paw bats at Lance's hand with so much ferocity that it shouldn't be as adorable as it is.

Lance jumps back, falling on his ass as Hunk and Pidge dissolve into laughter.

Shiro raises an eyebrow. "Satisfied?" he asks, as Keith settles both paws on Shiro's palm again, fur roughed up and disheveled.

Lance groans. "Yup, that's him."

Those mauve eyes settle on Shiro again, and they're so big and sparkly that it takes everything in Shiro's power not to pick Keith up and craddle him in his arms. As much as he knows Keith loves him, he's also not keen to test the limits of love.

Because — the cat is Keith, so it's likely those little paws are sheathing some very, very sharp claws.

The worst part is that Lance isn't even wrong — Shiro _is_ a cat person, and cat Keith is possibly the most adorable thing he's ever seen, and Shiro just wants to pick him up and never let go.

Still, Shiro loves and respects Keith, so he resists the urge — no matter how _soft_ Keith's dark fur looks, or how _cute_ his tiny ears are, or how _pink_ his little nose is.

It must show on his face, because Keith's whiskers twitch.

"Oh my god," Hunk says. "Keith, I mean this as platonically as possible, but you are so freaking cute, man."

Shiro can't even blame him. Keith is really, really cute all the time, but like this? It's overkill.

"Uh," Pidge interrupts, and cat Keith sends her what seems like a look of pure relief. "How are we going to turn him back? I'm pretty sure you don't want your boyfriend to be a cat forever, Shiro."

"Pidge," Shiro begins sagely. "I would love Keith in any form he took, _especially_ this one."

Awkward silence envelops the room.

Shiro winces. "Sorry, was that weird?"

Lance claps him on the back consolingly. "Yeah, dude. Pretty weird."

"I just — " Shiro tries, unable to encompass all the _feelings_ he has about how adorable cat Keith is.

Keith glares up at him in a way that clearly says: _sleep with one eye open, Shirogane_.

"Look at his ears," Shiro finishes lamely.

Pidge smacks a hand over her face. "Okay, so you're useless right now. Keith, what were you doing before you turned into a cat?"

Keith blinks at her. His little paws settle on the ground once again, and he stumbles to his feet. Shiro sympathizes — walking on four legs can't be easy. Keith nearly trips over his armor, which is still lying haphazardly on the floor in a heap.

He manages to find his balance and walk over to where a little glass phial is half-broken on the floor, paws delicately avoiding the glass shards. A couple of drops of blue liquid are spilled around the broken phial.

"You drank a suspicious liquid out of an equally suspicious phial?" Lance surmises, laughing. "Dude."

Keith bristles, tiny chest rumbling with a growl, and Shiro longs to soothe that long black fur with his hands.

"Bad kitty," Lance says, sticking out his tongue and crossing his arms.

"Did one of the Yuvians give it to you?" Pidge asks.

Keith nods vigorously.

"Oh, baby," Shiro sighs, shaking his head and suddenly thinking of all the ways the situation could have turned out worse, so much worse. "What were you thinking?"

Cat Keith hangs his head, and Shiro can feel every part of his heart break. Shiro has never seen a cat look so dejected. He can't resist the urge to pull Keith into his arms.

"It's alright," he immediately soothes, stroking along a furry cheek like he would if Keith wasn't currently a cat. Keith melts into the attention like he always does. "We'll find a way to turn you back."

It just doesn't make any sense. Keith is distrusting of strangers, and he's not particularly gullible, so there's really no reason why Keith would accept a strange phial from a stranger, let alone _drink_ it.

" _How_ are we going to turn him back?" Hunk asks, holding his hands up in a placating gesture as Keith wilts again and Shiro levels him with a look. "I mean, look, we don't even know how he turned into a cat."

"It's like magic," Lance says.

"There's no such thing as magic," Pidge snorts, adjusting her glasses. She pauses and examines Keith once again. "I think."

"We should find Allura and Coran," Shiro says, standing up straight. While it's not likely that either of them would know exactly what a cat is or why Keith turned into one, it's also becoming increasingly obvious that Keith's not going to be turning back on his own anytime soon. "And after we should — "

"I'm sorry," Lance begins, with all the bravado of someone who is not sorry at all. "I can't even take you seriously right now."

Shiro becomes aware of the fact that Keith is still curled in his arms, looking a little put out as Shiro's hand absent-mindedly pets his soft fur.

"He was doing his leader voice and pose," Pidge grins, mimicking Shiro's stance, which is unfair, because he doesn't stand with his feet _that_ far apart or his back _that_ straight — "And scratching Keith's ears."

"I wish I could take a video," Lance sighs, like he's missing the world's greatest opportunity for blackmail.

Keith is staring at Pidge, a little betrayed, and then she's reshuffling back into her usual slouch that Shiro always reminds her to fix. "Sorry, Keith. You couldn't see it from your angle."

"It was glorious," Hunk confirms.

Keith — meows.

All four paladin's jaws drop.

"Too cute, man," Hunk says, shaking his head. "He meows, guys. Meows."

"I'm never going to let you live this down," Lance tells Keith with so much glee that Shiro can't even scold him. Secretly, he's never going to let Keith live this down either.

"We can't get sidetracked again," Shiro says seriously, rubbing his cheek against Keith's fur. It's just so soft. "We need to turn him back. What if we need to form Voltron, and Keith — "

"Oh my god," Lance interrupts. "Imagine him trying to pilot a lion."

Everyone contemplates the image, giving it the respect and thought it deserves just for how cute it is, when suddenly the door is flinging open, and Allura comes storming in.

Shiro expects to be scolded. He probably deserves it. He's just preparing himself for whatever lecture Allura is about to give, when —

Allura sighs, exhausted. "Are you guys escaping the Yuvians as well?"

Everyone slumps, relieved, and they all nod.

"Princess, point me at whoever was bothering you, and I'll — "

"Lance," Shiro interjects, stern. Allura's eyes focus in on him, and then she's noticing the tiny feline creature in his arms.

"Oh my stars," Allura breathes, reaching forwards. "What is this creature?"

Everyone expects Keith to swat at her, or at least hiss or growl, but he doesn't make a peep as she runs her fingers through his silky fur. Allura tugs on his tiny ears, delights at the twitching of his nose as whiskers, and croons. Keith weathers this with a put out, annoyed glare.

Shiro isn't necessarily surprised — he knows how much Keith respects her.

"The pilot of the red lion," Pidge explains easily.

"The what — " Allura exclaims, ripping her hand away. " _Keith_?"

Shiro gives Pidge a stern look and tries for a placating, tentative smile, the echo of the cutest meow he'd ever heard still playing in his head. "Unfortunately, Pidge is right. There seems to have been some sort of ... accident."

"Accident," Allura repeats. "A paladin of Voltron, reduced to this ... soft, adorable, and fuzzy creature."

"You basically just described Hunk — "

"Lance," Shiro sighs. He'd pinch the bridge of his nose if his hands weren't currently occupied with holding Keith at eye level. They can't derail again. "Princess, do you know anything about this?"

"Well, I can't say I've ever seen anything like it," Allura says, and Shiro doesn't know if she's talking about the cat or the transformation. "He looks like ... a tiny lion. What was he doing before this?"

"Well, we were all standing around ... uh," Hunk begins, pausing to search for the right word.

"Diplomatically regrouping," Pidge suggests.

"Yes! We were diplomatically regrouping, and then there was this poof sound, and Keith sort of vanished in thin air?"

Lance rubs his chin. "Apparently he drank some weird blue liquid before he turned."

"You make it sound like he's a werewolf — "

Allura's brows crease together. "I believe I know what caused this."

"Really?" Shiro asks, relieved.

"Let me find a Yuvian, they would be able to explain it more," Allura says, excusing herself to go look.

It's only seconds later that a Yuvian enters the room, looking inebriated on whatever the Yuvians were smoking and beaming when she sees the paladins. Allura follows behind, glaring daggers at her back. The Yuvian sighs. "Paladins of Voltron! Oh my stars, what is that creature — "

Shiro gets an eerie sense of deja vu. His eye twitches.

"One of the paladins drank some blue liquid out of a phial, and then he transformed," Shiro explains briskly, taking a deep breath and fighting for patience. His fingers curl in soft, long black fur.

"This, to be exact," Pidge says, handing the broken phial to the Yuvian, who examines it blankly.

"Oh," the Yuvian begins, grinning. "I see! He must have simply helped himself to our spiritual serum — "

"Please don't call it that," Lance groans.

"It transforms you into your soul animal! I assume this is some sort of Earth species?"

Shiro blinks, letting it all settle in. "Yes, that ... is correct."

"It wears off," the Yuvian says, and they all slump with relief. "In a quintant."

A day. Keith is going to be a cat for an entire _day._

Shiro doesn't know how long he can survive the cuteness that is Keith as a cat.

Logically, Shiro knows it could be worse. He's pretty sure Keith's favorite animal is a hippo, so he's glad that Keith hasn't somehow projected that onto his actual soul, because Shiro does love Keith, but he would find it very hard to love him as a hippo. And that's not even to say what other kinds of terrible serums the Yuvian's have lying around. In fact, this seems very ... tame, somehow.

"How fun!" the Yuvian says. "Such tiny feet this one has!"

"How is it possible for an entire race to act so collectively high?" Lance asks, like that's their biggest concern right now.

"I'm not sure it's acting," Allura chimes in, and they all swivel their heads to look at her. She shrugs. "Apologies."

Silence. The Yuvian doesn't react, completely oblivious.

And then she says, dreamily, "Tiny feet on a soul animal means that he will meet his imminent doom soon."

All of them groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i wrote this while super drunk. i have no excuse other than the fact that keith is adorable and i love cats. also i know black cats don't have pink noses, but keith does. because it's adorable, frankly.
> 
> i made a sheith [twitter](https://twitter.com/palavin_), i need friends in this fandom so come say hi!!!
> 
> anyways please comment if you liked it !!,,, i need that validation
> 
> update: pinguinnek on tumblr made amazing art for the fic that's so adorable i almost cried !!! [go check it out!!!](https://pinguinnek.tumblr.com/post/177273880206/if-youre-looking-for-a-funny-fic-to-read-i)
> 
> aleschwartz on imgur drew kitty!keith and shiro!!!! seriously guys [look how cute](https://imgur.com/gallery/Bq1ke9U)


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully, it only takes a couple minutes of persuading to convince Allura to end the diplomatic negotiations early.

(“How can we negotiate like this?” Lance asks, gesturing a thumb behind him to where Shiro is currently swooning over Keith, who yawned about a minute ago, and Shiro hasn’t recovered since. “Shiro’s going to be out of commission as long as Keith’s like this.”

Allura sighs, rubbing her temples. “Stars save us if Zarkon attacks us now.”)

Shiro is  _still_ recovering from Keith’s yawn, and he has yet to let Keith out of his arms. Keith, for the most part, doesn’t exactly look bothered, but he doesn’t exactly look happy, either. He lets Shiro coddle him, and that’s all that Shiro’s ever wanted, and how was he supposed to resist with Keith like this?

The castle is abuzz with excitement when they finally return, and they explain the situation to Coran, who is absolutely delighted to see the effects of the Yuvian’s serum. He also seems fascinated by Keith’s whiskers, but he wisely keeps his hands to himself.

“It’s actually quite a rare find,” Coran announces, thoughtfully curling his mustache between his fingers. He holds the glass phial in his other hand. “I’m going to analyze these elements. The Yuvians are masters of spirituality, as you know. Some of it seems beyond science!”

“There’s nothing beyond science,” Pidge snorts, though she trails after him.

As they’re leaving, Coran turns around. “He should be thankful for such a memorable experience!” he imparts cheerfully.

Keith, for his part, doesn’t look very thankful for this experience at all. He’s taken to grumpily slumping in Shiro’s hold, glaring at everyone who even looks at him for more than half a second. Shiro tries to whisper consolingly, but he’s not entirely sure he’s helping more than harming.

Coran’s cheerful comments do nothing to ease Keith’s mood.

The paladins don’t get a break either, even after a day spent in the company of Yuvians. They run their usual training drills, minus one red paladin, and fail miserably at each one. The only difference is that it’s  _Shiro’s_  fault, which is shocking in and of itself.

In all their time together, Shiro’s always been the one Allura relied on to keep the team together during the drills. Now, he’s too distracted by Keith watching them from the sidelines of the training room, and eventually Allura realizes that there isn’t any way to salvage the day.

"It was a lost cause from the beginning," Lance comforts, much to Allura's chagrin. The only one who looks possibly more displeased about today's developments is Keith himself.

At dinner, Keith staunchly refuses to eat. They’re all gathered at the table — minus Coran, who disappeared awhile ago to try and wheedle the Yuvians into letting him have another dosage of the serum. Keith sits on Shiro’s lap, his two front paws set on the table, cautiously sniffing the bowl of goo in front of him.

Everyone watches with fascination, waiting to see Keith dig into his food like this, but Keith turns his head away, haughty, and curls up in Shiro’s lap.

“Baby,” Shiro says, frowning. He grabs a spoonful of goo, wondering if the problem is the fact that Keith would have to eat like — well, a cat. He holds it in front of Keith’s face. “You’ve got to eat something. You didn’t touch your breakfast this morning.”

Keith resettles so that he’s facing the opposite direction of the spoon. Shiro relents, sighing.

“Maybe the goo just isn’t appetizing for a cat,” Hunk guesses, trying for something consoling, his own bowl half empty already. “I mean, like, maybe his taste buds are different too.”

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Pidge says, making shapes with her own goo rather than eating it. One paladin not eating is enough — Shiro levels her with a stern look, and she sighs and reluctantly eats a spoonful. “Cats don’t usually eat goo, right?”

“Or — maybe he isn’t hungry,” Lance begins, horrified, choking on his goo. “Has anybody seen the mice?!”

Allura gasps, dropping her spoon with a clatter. “Keith, you didn’t!”

Keith looks equally horrified, his eyes big and round. He desperately shakes his head, but the damage is done, and the table is abuzz with horror and shock.

"Does this count as _murder_  — "

"How can we hold a funeral — "

"Where are we going to find coffins tiny enough — "

"If there's even anything  _left_  to bury — "

Keith sends a desperate look to Shiro.

Shiro sighs, suddenly weary. “Everybody, stop panicking, Keith didn’t eat the mice,” he says, with no small amount of conviction.

Everyone settles, and they all glare at Lance for inciting a panic. Lance, at the least, pretends to look sheepish.

“I think I might have noticed," Shiro explains easily, when all eyes settle on him. “I’ve been with him this entire time.”

Pidge snorts. “Yeah, because you won’t let him go.”

“That’s not true,” Shiro defends weakly, because he knows it’s the truth and his token resistance is embarrassing him further. His voice goes soft. “He’s just so small. What if somebody stepped on him?”

The thought of somebody even accidentally stepping on one of Keith’s precious little paws or bushy tail has Shiro feeling more emotional than he should. Unconsciously, he gathers Keith in his arms again and pulls him to his chest protectively.

“There he goes again,” Pidge mutters, rolling her eyes.

Keith, curled up like a big furry baby in his arms, blinks up at Shiro. It must be comical to see someone his size holding such a small and furry creature like it’s something precious, but he couldn’t care less.

Keith’s eyes narrow, annoyed.

“Lovers spat,” Lance sighs, sending a hopeful look Allura’s way. “Boy, do I know the feeling.”

Shiro isn’t even paying attention to scold him. He’s lost in those sparkling mauve eyes, even as they stare at him in obvious distaste. He presses a kiss to Keith’s soft forehead, not even slightly deterred by the fur. Keith pushes his paw against Shiro’s cheek, smushing the skin there, in an attempt to ward off any more kisses.

“Guys,” Hunk says pointedly. “We are at the  _table_.”

“Sorry,” Shiro apologizes, sheepish, when he can finally focus on something other than how cute and small Keith is in his arms. He reluctantly lets Keith down, and Keith must really be mad at him, because he jumps up on the table and glares at everybody in a way that begs them to make a comment.

Nobody does.

Keith’s tail wraps around his paws. He sits turned away from Shiro.

Shiro sighs, shoulders slumping. “Baby, I know you’re mad, but can you please eat something for me?”

Keith doesn’t turn, chin tilted high.

“Wow,” Lance says. “This is actually tragic.”

When Shiro next speaks, he pitches his voice low and soft. He isn’t above guilt-tripping Keith into eating.

“You know how I worry,” Shiro murmurs, grabbing a spoonful of goo. Keith gives him a narrowed side-eye, interested, and Shiro tries for his most painfully earnest expression. He holds the spoon in front of Keith’s small mouth. “Please?”

It works. Shiro doesn’t even have time to crow, because his mind immediately blanks out the moment he sees a delicate, pink tongue peek out, and then Keith laps up the goo around the spoon.

Keith’s eyes are a little crossed as they focus on the goo in front of him, and it’s all Shiro can do to keep his hand steady while he melts. He knows it must be affecting everyone else too, even though his own brain has begun to short-circuit.

“Awwwwww,” Hunk croons, and Shiro finds mild comfort that he isn’t the only one hopelessly charmed by how cute Keith is as a cat.

Keith’s ears are flicked back while he licks the remaining goo from the spoon, and then he licks his lips as he pulls back. That’s when Shiro notices — a green speck sits on Keith’s nose.

He’s got goo on his nose, Shiro realizes helplessly. His heart possibly freezes up at the sight.

Allura looks more concerned than anything else. “Shiro — are you alright?”

“Oh my god,” Pidge says, interested in Shiro’s lovestruck expression. Shiro doesn’t look away from Keith. He barely breathes. “Keith finally broke Shiro. All it took was Keith becoming a cat.”

Lance holds an imaginary hat to his heart. “We knew this day was coming, but nothing could have prepared us for it.”

Hunk gives a salute with the wrong hand. “We’ll never forget the moments he and cat Keith shared,” he says, heartfelt.

Even Allura nods solemnly. “My father always told me that for every great man, there is an even greater weakness.”

Shiro blinks, and then the world comes back into focus. “I don’t mean to interrupt my own eulogy,” he begins, polite. “But can somebody pass me a napkin?”

Pidge wordlessly hands him a napkin, eyebrows raised. They all watch on as Shiro delicately wipes the goo from Keith’s nose, and Keith keeps his gaze averted, abashed.

Shiro presses another kiss to Keith’s forehead, unable to help himself. “Thank you for eating.”

Keith can’t exactly reply in his current form, but Shiro can imagine the bashful huff Keith might give. If Keith was feeling particularly sappy, he might say a line and embarrass himself, even though Shiro knows he means every sappy line that he says.

As it stands, Keith slowly blinks at him and inclines his head, ears twitching back like he’s uncomfortable with Shiro’s sincere scrutiny.

“I wonder what I’d turn into,” Lance asks thoughtfully, when they’re all finished eating.

Pidge huffs. “A weasel, maybe.”

“Hey!” Lance exclaims, offended. “I’d be something cool. Like a fox.”

“Dude, you sound like a furry,” Hunk comments innocently, and really, it’s such a rookie mistake that it’s almost impressive.

Allura looks up, confused. “What is a — ‘furry?’” she asks, completely guileless.

Everyone shifts uncomfortably. Shiro clears his throat, politely avoiding the question by eating his goo despite the fact that he’s full, and Keith resettles back in his lap to hide.

Pidge adjusts her glasses. “Well. It’s — sort of — “

“It’s, basically, someone who likes — you know,“ Lance starts, unable to finish. "Never mind."

Awkward silence settles. 

“A person who likes humanoids with animal characteristics,” Shiro explains serenely, lowering his spoon. Keith tenses in his lap, and everyone whips around to stare at him. Shiro blinks. “What?”

“Oh my god,” Pidge says.

“This can’t be happening,” Hunk moans.

“It all makes sense,” Lance nods. “The evidence was there.”

“We just didn’t want to see it,” Pidge agrees.

Dawning horror begins to settle on Shiro’s face. He’s never been the type to fumble for words, but it turns out that he doesn’t have to, because no words come from his mouth. He opens it once, twice, desperately trying to find a way out of the hole he’s dug for himself.

“Oh,” Allura says eventually, considering. “And Shiro is one of these furries?”

“ _No_ ,” Shiro says passionately, thankful to finally have his tongue working again. “I am not a furry,” he says,  _very_ firmly.

Keith looks up at him, sort of betrayed, and Shiro passes a hand over his eyes.

“I’m making it worse, aren’t I?” he asks to no one in particular.

Lance rubs his shoulder comfortingly. “Nobody is here to kinkshame you.”

“I could have went my entire life without knowing that Shiro is a furry,” Hunk says wondrously. “Like, there’s a parallel universe where this conversation isn’t even happening right now.”

“I don’t understand,” Allura states, eyebrows furrowed. “Is it taboo?”

“Not really, it’s just sort of weird,” Pidge explains. “Lots of people are furries. I mean, I would have never guessed Shiro was one.”

“I am not a furry,” Shiro tries again, moving to pull Keith into his arms, who goes a little reluctantly now. “But since none of you are going to believe me, I am officially extracting myself from this conversation.”

“It’s understandable,” Pidge nods reasonably.

“You don’t want to incriminate yourself further,” Hunk agrees, full of warmth. “We get it, man.”

Instead of answering, Shiro takes Keith back to their shared room. When the door slides open, he releases a relieved sigh and toes his boots off by the door. Keith hops out of his arms, landing perfectly on his feet, and owlishly watches Shiro strip from his vest and belt from the bed.

Keith’s eyes reflect in the dark. Shiro blinks. His mouth opens and closes.

“You know I’m not a furry,” Shiro says, a little desperately.

Keith’s tail swishes silently in the air.

“Keith,” he tries.

No reply. No movement.

And then Shiro realizes. Keith can’t laugh in his current form, but Shiro knows how those mauve eyes shine with mirth when he does, and that’s exactly what they’re doing now.

Shiro gives him a sour look while Keith watches in amusement.

“You’re teasing me,” Shiro says, shaking his head as he sits down next to Keith. “You can’t even talk, and you’re teasing me.”

Keith makes a trilling noise like he’s innocent. He settles next to Shiro, resting his head on his thigh and staring up at him. Despite himself, Shiro smiles and gently brushes Keith’s cheek with his thumb.

It’s nice to just sit here with Keith like this. It isn’t really any different from how they usually spend their nights. Most of the time, they go about their business in companionable silence, and Keith has never really been talkative, anyways. Shiro doesn’t mind that Keith can’t talk right now. He’s just glad he’s okay.

Shiro’s voice goes soft. “You really worried me today,” he says, as Keith nuzzles into his palm. “You should have told me you were going to try that serum. I don’t know what you were thinking.”

Shiro doesn’t know how a cat can look guilty, but Keith does.

“But I know you must have had a good reason,” Shiro finishes, smiling. “I’ll lecture you when you get a chance to explain yourself. Fair?”

Keith nods.

When they finally settle in for bed, Keith remains at the edge, as far away from Shiro as he can manage. Shiro doesn’t comment while he reads through rebel news and reports like he usually does before bed — even though it drives Keith nuts — but when he finally turns off the tablet, he raises his eyebrows at Keith, who’s still seated away from him.

He’s in the classic cat pose, Shiro realizes. Keith’s eyes are blinking sleepily, arms and legs tucked under his body for warmth. It sort of makes him look like a weirdly shaped loaf of bread, completely limbless.

Shiro sighs. “No sulking. We can still cuddle like this.”

He scoops Keith into his arms, pulling him onto his chest. Keith goes a little unhappily at first, his little claws digging into the bed while Shiro tries to carefully extract him, and then he settles into Shiro’s warmth, finally resting his head down between his paws on Shiro's chest.

Shiro kisses him goodnight on his tiny, furry forehead. “Try and get some sleep, okay? We’ll figure all this out in the morning. You might have even turned back by then.”

Silence. And then, impossibly —

Keith licks his cheek. It sort of feels like a horrible mix between sandpaper and a cheese grater, but Shiro laughs in delight all the same and curls his arms around Keith, squishing him to his chest.

It isn’t until he’s just about half-asleep that it happens. It’s so quiet and indiscernible that Shiro almost doesn’t notice.

A small, rumbling purr emanates from Keith’s chest, so soft and gentle that he can barely hear or feel it. Keith doesn’t seem to be aware that he’s doing it. He might not even be awake. Shiro tries not to move a single muscle, part of him half-convinced he's still asleep and he's dreaming the whole thing.

As Shiro falls asleep, he can't help but think that Keith kind of sounds like a little rumbling motorcycle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again! sort of didn't expect this fic to be as popular as it is, so i wrote this chapter a little earlier than i intended!! 
> 
> also i have a [twitter](https://twitter.com/palavin_)
> 
> anyways i hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please comment and leave some kudos if you liked it!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro wakes up with something warm and fuzzy sprawled on top of him. For a dazed moment, he thinks some terrible creature has come to bite his throat in the night. He blinks his eyes open, pushing himself to wakefulness and energizing his Galra arm, when —

The mass on his chest shifts, and a furry black cat sleepily blinks up at him, pink nose twitching.

Yesterday’s events come crashing back with a vengeance. Shiro drops his head back to the pillow, staring up at the ceiling while his hand cools. He reaches his flesh hand up to curl in Keith’s soft fur, contemplating.

“So it wasn’t a dream,” he says. “You really did turn into a cat.”

Keith makes a trilling, sleepy noise. He stretches his little arms, putting those little claws dangerously close to Shiro’s face, before he rests his head back down and closes his eyes.

“Hey,” Shiro says, gently pinching Keith’s fuzzy cheek. “Come on, baby. Don’t go back to sleep.”

Keith’s whiskers twitch peevishly. He peeks open one eye, and then, because he is the _worst_ —

Keith meows sweetly, imploring.

Shiro’s resolve immediately crumbles. “Maybe just a little bit longer,” he agrees softly.

A little bit longer turns out to be two hours. With Keith’s gentle purring, it becomes increasingly impossible to keep his eyes open. Before he can talk himself out of it, he’s settling back into bed and falling asleep, fingers still curled in Keith’s soft fur.

There aren’t any comments when Shiro and Keith show up late to breakfast, even though it’s unusual for Shiro to be late to anything. The cause is pretty easy to guess, anyways. And, thankfully, it’s only Lance and Allura at the table.

Keith jumps up on the table again, yawning.

“So he’s still a cat,” Lance says, half-asleep himself.

“They did say it would take a quintant for him to turn back,” Shiro replies, looking through the cabinets. He scavenges for something that Keith couldn’t refuse to eat, but the goo is still the most viable choice, considering all the Altean writing on these ingredients. And, if Shiro’s being completely honest with himself, he’s never been good at cooking anyways.

Shiro sighs, getting two bowls of goo for them. Keith sniffs his bowl, critical. Shiro opens his mouth to beg him to eat —

“Oh, not this again,” Allura says abruptly, interrupting him, and everyone looks up in surprise. She flushes, the tips of her pointed ears turning pink. “I’m sorry, Shiro, Keith. But this is ridiculous.”

“Are we shaming Keith and Shiro?” Hunk asks as he walks in, hopeful. “Is it honesty hour?”

Shiro pulls Keith to his chest. “It is _not_ honesty hour.”

“I say you go ahead anyways,” Lance says, and Shiro sometimes laments falling out of hero-status to Lance. “Just start each criticism with a compliment, or Keith will claw your face off.”

Hunk looks mildly concerned, but he bravely ventures forth while he prepares a bowl of goo for himself. “So, Shiro, huge fan of the whole, like, badass Galra prisoner thing, but like, sometimes you and Keith suck face in front of us, and I think — I mean, I don’t know — it would be really easy to just … _not_ do that?”

“It’s not honesty hour,” Shiro says, instead of acknowledging the truth in Hunk’s statement.

“It’s a little bit honesty hour now,” Lance says, talking with his mouth full. Shiro gives him a look, and he reluctantly swallows before continuing. “Keith, you’re a dick a lot, and — “

Keith’s tiny chest rumbles with a growl. Shiro soothes his bristling fur down, trying for something placating. He sighs. “I thought you said to start each criticism with a compliment.”

“I did,” Lance says, a little chastised. “I mean, it’s genuinely impressive how much of a dick Keith is. That’s a compliment.”

“That is not a compliment,” Allura says, and Shiro feels mildly vindicated. “Also, what is a — dick?”

Feeling less vindicated and more like he has to steer the conversation away from complete catastrophe, Shiro looks around for anything to change the subject. He doesn’t spot a head of ginger hair anywhere. “Where’s Pidge?”

“Probably stayed up again,” Hunk shrugs, a little relieved, and Shiro sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. He doesn’t understand how Pidge operates on two hours of sleep each day. If anyone is impressive, it’s her.

“Princess,” Lance begins, and maybe Shiro was fighting a losing battle against this conversation anyways. “I would be _more_ than happy to — “

A loud clatter comes from the general direction of the doorway, surprising everybody. As a human, Keith might have started a bit and, maybe, reached for his knife. As a cat, Keith jumps about four feet in the air and lands directly in Shiro’s arms, bristling.

Lance immediately bursts into laughter. “Oh my god, he’s a scaredy cat!”

Glaring peevishly, Keith settles back down into Shiro’s arms, curling close. Shiro can feel his little heart beating a mile a minute.

Shiro blinks a couple of times, staring at nothing before it clicks. Hunk pokes him, worried.

“Hey, dude, are you having an aneurysm?”

Shiro doesn’t hear him. He’s trying not to cry.

“Baby, did you jump in my arms because I could protect you?” Shiro asks, crooning, and Keith sends the ceiling an exasperated look. He tries to squirm away, but Shiro’s biceps flex to keep him effortlessly pinned to his chest. “I love you so much.”

That actually gives Keith pause, and, looking very put out, he nuzzles Shiro’s nose before ducking back down.

“This is sickening,” Pidge says as she walks in. She must have been the source of the noise, because she’s gingerly tinkering with her laptop. Did she drop it? Shiro wasn’t paying attention. “Isn’t it sort of early for this? Even for them?”

“Yeah, but Keith turning into a cat has pretty much made Shiro into, like, the worst person ever,” Hunk says, putting a hand on Shiro’s shoulder warmly. “No offense, man.”

Shiro nods, understanding. “None taken.”

“Paladins!” A voice shouts from the door, and Shiro can feel Keith jump in his arms again, except this time those little claws grip into his skin, making him wince and gingerly extract them. Coran is standing at the head of the table, bouncing on his heels in excitement. “I have spectacular news!”

“Oh no,” Allura mutters, but Coran doesn’t hear.

“I managed to wheedle my way into obtaining several batches of the serum. The Yuvians drive a hard bargain,” he begins, and Shiro agrees with Allura. He gets a sinking feeling. This can’t be good. “But my bargaining prowess is unmatched! After sharing several ‘blunts’ as you Earthlings call it — “

Lance coughs, hacking. “ What? Coran, you got _high_?!”

“Oh my god,” Hunk says, taking a dubious bite of his goo. “I thought we reached rock bottom. Like, we were there when we found out Shiro’s a furry.”

“I am not a furry, and, even if I was a furry — ” Shiro begins, and several eyebrows raise. “ — which I’m not, and never will be — it wouldn’t even be in the same playing field as this.”

Nobody listens to him.

“We’ve somehow sunk lower,” Pidge agrees solemnly.

“I think I see rock bottom,” Lance says, pointing to the ceiling. “Way up above us.”

“Well,” Allura says, and they all desperately look to her to make some sense out of this situation. “Diplomatically speaking, I think it was a very good idea, Coran.”

Everyone’s jaws drop. Even Keith’s tiny little ears perk in surprise.

“Thank you, Princess!” Coran exclaims, twirling his mustache.

“Coran,” Shiro says, very calmly. “What did you bargain?”

“Oh!” Coran says, suddenly reminded. “For more of the serum, I simply bargained the Red Paladin!”

Predictably, the table erupts into chaos.

“This is the best day of my life!” Lance blurts.

“Oh, what a disaster!” Allura gasps.

“Are we selling Keith?” Hunk asks, concerned.

Keith is staring at Shiro in a way that says: _Don’t you dare leave me with the Yuvians, Takashi Shirogane._

As if Shiro _would_.

“We are not bargaining my boyfriend,” Shiro says, and the ruckus dies down. He’s using his leader voice. It’s rare that he pulls the boyfriend card with the team, because he knows what it does to the dynamic. He can’t pick favorites, but this is a special occasion. Unconsciously, he pulls Keith into his arms, begging anyone to pry him from them.

“Of course not!” Coran laughs, and Shiro can feel himself slump with relief. “It’s only for the remainder of the day!”

Keith is wriggling in his arms, maybe in an attempt to run away.

“No,” Shiro says with conviction, his grip tightening. Keith — who had actually wriggled a bit of leeway in his arms — sends the ceiling an exasperated look and gives up his struggle. “Not even for a day.”

“Number one,” Coran says, suddenly way too close to Shiro's personal space. “It’s imperative!”

Shiro opens his mouth to say _absolutely not_ , but Allura beats him to it. Her brows are creased. Oh no, Shiro thinks.

“It’s imperative?” she asks, cautious.

“Yes!” Coran exclaims, relieved. “The Yuvians don’t only use the serum for spiritual journeys. It also contains several medicinal properties.”

“Don’t tell me they’re actually geniuses,” Lance begs. “Coran, c’mon. They’re hippies.”

“Now now, number three,” Coran says, thoughtful. “They’re masters of alchemy. Just because they, erm, choose to spend their time recreationally, doesn’t change that fact.”

“Why do they want Keith, anyways?” Pidge asks, resting her palm on her chin.

“Ah!” Coran says. “They were enamored with his ears, I believe.”

Shiro watches on sort of blearily. His arms are still curled protectively around Keith, and he imagines himself fiercely fighting off several high Yuvians with Keith still in his arms. Maybe Keith would hiss and bat at them in turn.

Just the thought has Shiro melting.

Instead, he takes the more pragmatic approach. “He’ll be turning back soon,” he reasons, eyes narrowing. “They know that.”

“Well,” Coran says, once again thoughtful. “Put like that — it does seem a bit suspicious, doesn’t it?”

“Are we really contemplating the Yuvians as enemies?” Allura asks, incredulous. “They’ve always been a relatively harmless people.”

“What about the brain cells I lost talking to them?” Pidge asks, and Shiro would send her a stern look, except he wholeheartedly agrees with her.

“Enough,” Allura says, and she’s using her leader voice too. Everyone, on instinct, listens to her. “We are not bargaining Keith, and we are not wasting this day as well. We will run our usual drills, and Keith …” she pauses, faltering at the sight of him. His furry ears twitch. “I suppose, for the sake of Shiro’s functionality, we’ll have to send you elsewhere for the time being. Perhaps … I will watch over you.”

“Oh my god,” Lance says. “Allura, what’s he got that I don’t?”

“Fuzzy ears?” Pidge asks.

“A cute pink nose?” Hunk hazards a guess.

“Little twitchy whiskers?” Coran speculates.

“It’s the paws,” Shiro says, squishing one in between his thumb and forefinger. The little toebeans are so smooth and soft, and the motion unsheathes Keith’s little claws. He laments a day spent training, when he could happily play with Keith’s tiny paws all day. “Baby, you’ll sneak back to me, right?”

Keith bats at him with a little paw, but it’s more playful than anything else, considering he keeps his claws sheathed.

“There will be no sneaking!” Allura says, and Shiro wilts. “Honestly, Shiro. I’ve never seen you so … uncooperative. Now, everyone finish your breakfast. We start the drills in fifteen doboshes.”

***

When Shiro returns from the training drills, he can’t find Keith anywhere.

The drills are a little more successful than yesterday, but not by a large margin. Shiro manages to focus most of his attention, but he still remains distracted, which — to be completely honest — rivals most of the team at their best. At the least, training goes smoother than before, and they’re given a reprieve only an hour later than usual.

Immediately after, Shiro searches for Keith, who sneaked away from Allura about halfway through the day.

All of the places he assumes to look are empty, even their shared bedroom, and he takes a moment to calm his panicked nerves. Keith isn’t an actual cat. He can’t have gotten into a situation he wouldn’t be able to get himself out of.

The last place that Shiro checks is the observation deck. The room is sort of like the bridge, except there aren’t any consoles. It’s completely empty, save for the large and expansive window that covers one entire wall, revealing the stars to anybody who’d like to see them.

Sometimes he and Keith stare at the stars together, but Keith is usually the one to find _him_ there, not the other way around.

Shiro finds Keith fully human once more. His back is to the door, and he doesn’t look even when the door hisses open and Shiro walks inside. Keith seems entirely focused on the stars, and Shiro smiles softly to himself.

The sight of Keith sends a warm wave of relief through Shiro that he hadn't necessarily expected to feel. He missed the shape of Keith's shoulders, which taper off into a trim waist, and the messy hair that brushes just below the collar of his jacket.

He steps forward, resting a hand on Keith’s shoulder, careful not to startle him. Keith turns, and their eyes meet. As much as Shiro loved Keith's eyes as a cat, they hold nothing to how beautiful they are when he's a human.

Without even speaking, they immediately melt into a hug, and Shiro realizes then how much he missed hugging Keith like this.

“I missed you,” Shiro says, a little helpless.

Keith snorts, amused. “I never left. I was only a cat for a day.”

Shiro buries his face in Keith’s messy hair. “Doesn’t matter. It’s good to have you back.”

They pull back to look at each other. Keith’s eyebrows raise, wry. “Sure you don’t want me as a cat?”

“I’m not a furry,” Shiro says for what _feels_ like the millionth time. “And yes, Keith, I’m sure.”

Keith’s face softens. He turns back to the stars, but their shoulders still brush. Just the contact has Shiro relaxing. “Guess you want an explanation.”

“You don’t have to,” Shiro says, though it pains him to say it. He hates when he can’t guess what Keith’s thinking, but he also respects his privacy. “Not if you don’t want to.”

Keith stares out at the stars for another moment, like he’s contemplating Shiro’s words. "I know," he murmurs, soft and raspy and warm just the way Shiro likes. His eyes twinkle briefly at Shiro, lips quirked, before he settles back into a serious expression. When Keith speaks again, his voice is barely above a murmur. “The Yuvian’s have this … belief.”

Shiro’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline. “You turned yourself into a cat because of a Yuvian belief,” he surmises, blinking. He’s trying not to be judgmental, but it’s hard to be supportive when it comes to anything involving the Yuvians.

Keith’s shoulders tense. Shiro tries to find the answers on Keith’s face, but it’s as impassive as ever. What is he missing?”

Shiro swallows. Reluctantly, he looks back out to the stars too. “So the Yuvians have a belief,” he echoes, waiting for Keith to continue.

Eventually, Keith does. “Yeah. It's sort of complicated. They say that … if you’re meant to be with someone, your soul animal is their favorite animal, or the animal they connect with the most. Like soulmates. If you take the serum, you're supposed to turn into your soulmate's favorite animal. It's supposed to match. You like cats, and then … I turned into a cat.”

Shiro whips his head around to stare at Keith, and suddenly it all makes sense. Keith wouldn’t trust a Yuvian — or any stranger for that matter — but for proof of his connection to Shiro, he might. And not just a connection, either. Apparent proof that they're _soulmates_.

And, in retrospect, it is a little weird that Keith did turn into his favorite animal.

Without meaning to, Shiro laughs, low and easy. Keith stares at him, a little bewildered, a little hurt.

“Baby,” Shiro says, reaching over to cup the curve of Keith’s jaw, which grows sharper everyday. “You don’t need to transform into a cat to prove you’re my soulmate. I already knew that.”

Keith’s mouth opens, then closes, and a frankly lovestruck look settles in those mauve eyes Shiro loves so much. He takes a moment to revel in the fact that he’s rendered Keith speechless, and he leans down for a kiss so Keith doesn’t worry too much trying to find a response.

When he pulls back, his lips are quirked, expression thoughtful. “So … does that mean my spirit animal is a hippo?”

Keith huffs, and then he’s laughing. He gasps and holds his stomach, clinging to Shiro, or else he might actually fall to the ground.

Shiro doesn’t see what’s so funny. He doesn’t want his soul animal to be a hippo. The team would never let him live it down. Shiro wouldn’t let himself live it down.

“Shiro, that was my favorite animal when I was sixteen,” Keith says, and Shiro blinks. “I like dogs now.”

Shiro looks back out to the stars. He tries to imagine himself as a dog, but there isn’t really any way to know what he would look like without the serum. “A dog, huh? You think I’d have floppy ears?”

“No,” Keith snorts, leaning into him. “You’d look cool. Like a wolf or something.”

And then it’s Shiro’s turn to snort. “Sounds like something a _furry_ would say.”

He laughs as Keith punches his shoulder, and doesn’t have to worry about any tiny claws pricking his skin when he pulls Keith into a tight hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we are with our happy, sappy ending!!! i'm so weak for their love. thanks for all the support you guys, and i'll definitely be posting more fanfiction in the future. and, was that a sequel i hinted at there? who knows!!! ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ i'll edit this note and add more later, right now i'm posting this right before a shift LOL
> 
> if you liked it, please leave some comments and some kudos!!!!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/palavin_)


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